Minyan Mailbag - The Challenge

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"I never give you my pillow I only send you my invitation And in the middle of the celebrations I break down

Boy, you're going to carry that weight Carry that weight a long time Boy, you're going to carry that weight Carry that weight a long time"

- The Beatles "Carry That Weight"

Who wants to have some fun?

Who wants to lose some weight?

Who has some sporting blood?

Who wouldn't mind supporting a really good cause?

If you're raising both of your hands and both of your feet in answer to the four questions above - well have I got some good news for you.

My buddy Todd Harrison -- who runs the very fine financial website Minyanville.com -- has issued a challenge and come up with a fun and worthy little contest. (And one that also threatens to return me to the svelte and buff days of my youth. Oh heck, it probably only promises to make me lose about 2 pounds, but at this stage I'll take anything.

Here's the contest that Chubby...I mean Todd...has proposed:

Honor systemThe winner is the participant with the largest percentage weight loss in one month.

Starting weight is Tuesday morning (after you return from the hot dogs and beer of the holiday weekend)

Maybe you win and it costs you nothing and you lose some serious weight.

Maybe you don't win, but you still lose some weight and you throw a few shekels at a great charitable organization.

Or maybe you eat Twinkies like a fiend for the next month and actually gain weight - in which case the kids still win, which is cool. And you needed the tax break anyhow.

Heck, the contribution is deductible so it really only costs you about $60 or so after taxes. On a dollars per potential pounds lost (DPPPL) basis that's cheap. Cheap, I tell ya. We'll put Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers out of business here.

I for one will be thrilled if I lose 5 pounds since I haven't been able to muster up the willpower to stick to a diet for a while. Now with this mega Buddy System/Guilt Trip/Eyes of the World on Me/I'm Gonna Whip Todd and all the Rest of You Big Fatties thing going on maybe I'll take off... oh, I don't know...6 pounds or something.

If you have the guts to play and a gut to lose, let's have some fun with this and do some good.

E-mail Minyanville telling that you want in the pool. (The wager pool that is. You're entirely too fat to get in a swimming pool.) Hit them back by Tuesday morning's weigh-in.

Todd Harrison is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Minyanville. Prior to his current role, Mr. Harrison was President and head trader at a $400 million dollar New York-based hedge fund. Todd welcomes your comments and/or feedback at todd@minyanville.com.

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